Vermont gun owners need to make their voices heard immediately as the state moves dangerously close to adopting the same draconian laws as neighboring New York. This session has already witnessed an unprecedented barrage of gun control bills. Several of these bills have already cleared early votes and recent amendments have made bad bills even worse.
The most dangerous and pressing bill on the agenda right now is S.55. This bill took a turn for the worse this week when Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington) introduced amendments to S.55 which mirror New York’s disastrous and infamous SAFE Act. The amendment would ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms, most standard capacity magazines and also mandate locked firearm storage. Further, the amendment also creates a 10-day delay for gun purchases, essentially ending Vermont gun shows.
The House Judiciary could vote on S.55 at any time. We suspect that it will occur next Tuesday, March 20. Please contact your legislators immediately and respectfully ask them to oppose S.55. It’s important that you also call and leave a message for your legislator, “No on S.55,” with the Sergeant-at-arms at 802-828-2228. The House Judiciary Committee can be contacted by emailing the clerk, [email protected]. The House Judiciary Committee clerk can also be reached at 802-828-2257. Again, it is critical that you take action immediately.